Week 6 of the college football season is here and despite there being no ranked matchups in the Big 12, there is still plenty on the line with conference play in full swing. One of the most important games of the weekend took place in Ames, Iowa as the Iowa State Cyclones hosted the Baylor Bears.
Baylor was fresh off a tough loss to BYU while Iowa State took care of Houston 20-0 last weekend on the road. The Bears were trying to avoid a dreaded 0-3 start in conference play while Iowa State was looking to go 5-0 for the first time since 1980. While it was interesting for three quarters, the Cyclones ended up pulling away for the 43-21 win.
Here are my three takeaways from the game.
Iowa State Woke Up
Once again, the Cyclones got off to a slow start. They found themselves down by double digits early in the game before they woke up. Iowa State outscored Baylor 40 to 14 in the final three quarters of the game.
The offense found success running the football thanks to the outstanding play by running back Jaylon Jackson who ran for 107 yards and two scores. Meanwhile, back up Carson Hansen nearly ran for 100 yards himself. Iowa State finished the game with a whopping 265 rushing yards and Rocco Becht threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns. Also, Jayden Higgins caught a touchdown pass which makes it seven straight games with a touchdown grab for him.
While the offense found life, the defense went into lockdown mode as they held Baylor to just seven points in the final 43 minutes of the game. They did an excellent job locking up receivers in the second half despite a few injuries and really shut down Baylor’s run game. Also, their special teams came up with a huge play that resulted in a blocked punt for a score. I know they started off slow, but they sure found a way to finish strong.
Goodbye Dave Aranda
Let me start by saying I respect the way Baylor played in the first half. They got out to a 14-3 lead before completely crashing down. But as we all know; football is a game of four quarters and over the last three weeks the Bears have yet to play four quarters of good football.
This seems to be the case over the last few years for Baylor under head coach Dave Aranda. Ever since he won a Big 12 title back in 2021, this program has been trending in the wrong direction for three seasons now. He is 3-17 in his last 20 games against FBS opponents and is now 2-13 in his last 15 Big 12 games.
Is Dave Aranda a nice guy? Yes, but that shouldn’t have been the reason he was brought back after a 3-9 season last year. At some point, Baylor has to say enough is enough and it’s time for a change. I would be surprised to see Dave Aranda remain as the head coach after this weekend.
The Big 12 Runs Through Ames
Coming into the season, many had Utah playing either Oklahoma State or Kansas State for a Big 12 title come December. Meanwhile, the Iowa State Cyclones were just an afterthought to many. Well, here we are in the month of October and Iowa State looks like the best team in the Big 12 right now.
They have an outstanding offense with Rocco Becht along with plenty of weapons to throw to. And now with a formidable rushing attack, this offense is extremely dangerous. As for the defense, they are just as good as anyone in the conference. With most of the Big 12 having at least one loss, that means that Iowa State is just one of two teams in the Big 12 who are undefeated. Call me crazy but the Big 12 title race runs through Ames, Iowa. Watch out, folks, the Cyclones are now 5-0 for the first time in 44 years.
